Crossroads of Fate
by Yuri Flower
Summary: A Jedi, a Sith, and Bounty Hunter, and a Smuggler. Four sisters that were torn apart by fate converge in a galactic clash between light and darkness. But in pursuit of their own goals, the Blood-Rose Sisters must decide what is important: duty or family?


**Crossroads of Fate**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Star Wars series, The Old Republic, or anything related to the series.

* * *

**Episode One: The Master Plan**

_**Past – Year 6 BTC**_

Coruscant – the capital of the Galactic Republic – the Queen of the Core Worlds. From an outsider's point of view, the entire planet was just one giant city and in most cases, that would be true. Coruscant was layered by millions upon millions of skyscrapers, towers, citadels, fortresses, and other high-rise buildings – most of which were generally unoccupied in certain cases. Many of those who travel to Coruscant either stayed to attend the meetings that took place in the Republic Senate Towers to discuss the future of the Republic. Yes, from an outsider's view, Coruscant was indeed a shining utopia.

And then there were those who had seen the darker side of the city-planet. Several miles below the planet surface, there was one particular district of mass industry dubbed by the inhabitants as "The Works". The Works was once a thriving area of manufacturing until it was abandoned in favor of cheaper labor and outsourcing to off-world facilities. Now it was the stalking grounds for renegade droids, wild Cthon, and people who had no other place to go. People like herself.

Standing on one of the higher pipelines that ran through the district was a young human girl that barely looked around the age of 8 years. Her skin was unusually tan for a resident of Coruscant – people often think she was from Tatooine – with glimmering-silver hair that barely touched her shoulders and piercing gold eyes. The youngling's misfortunate was apparent by the ragged pillowcase she was forced to wear as a dress, but this small fact didn't bother her.

The tan child was teetering on the edge of the pipe, inching closer and closer to the side while maintaining her focus towards the upper parts of the city. After stretching her little body as far as it could go and gazing through the rows of towers, her eyes finally met her desired target: the Jedi Temple. The youngling stared at the fortress of the galactic protects with great desire, openly wondering what it would be like to be given the privilege of walking those first steps.

"Cúore!" The youngling snapped out of her daydream as a squeaky voice echoed through the pipework. "Cúore! We got dinner!"

"Coming!" The youngling known as Cúore called back.

The tan-skinned youngling took one last look at the Jedi Temple before allowing herself to fall over the edge of the pipe. Despite the descent being over thirty feet, Cúore was able to spin around and land nimbly on her hands and feet like a Cathar. She did wince slightly from the rough landing, but was generally unharmed; a feat many her age would not be able to boast. The tan-skin youngling race through the Works and arrived at a small camp that only consisted of a makeshift tent, an extra-large blanket, and a small barrel fire. Once there, she was greeted by three other younglings slightly younger than herself.

While Cúore was clearly the senior of the group, the second oldest was a Mirialan girl with buzz cut-black hair and fiery-orange eyes. Like all Mirialans, she had diamond-patterned tattoos on her cheeks, her chin, and a diamond that started from her forehead and reach to the bridge of her nose. The second-youngest was a Zabrak girl with unnaturally-red skin, leering-gold eyes, and untamable-onyx hair. Her Zabrak heritage appeared as a row of bone-horns forming a line down the middle of her head and two jutting from her frontal lobes. The youngest – at the age of 4 – was a small Twi'lek girl with light-blue skin accented by black stripes along her lekku and cheeks completed by her innocent-blue eyes. The one thing Cúore always noticed first about the girl was the "V"-shaped birthmark on her forehead; the others often joked that it meant "vicious little imp".

Though they were all different people from different species, Cúore think of better people to trust. As the human child took a seat from the circle of crates, her Mirialan comrade brought her ragged rucksack to the attention of the group. The green-skinned children opened the pack with a dramatic flair, dumping a pile of fruit in the middle of the group.

"Ta-Da!" The Mirialan exclaimed. "Tonight, we feast!"

"Yay!" The Twi'lek cheered, grabbing as much produce as her little arms could carry.

"Where'd you get all this?" Cúore questioned suspiciously as she accepted a Shuura.

"I know a guy." The Mirialan grinned.

"So you stole it." Cúore said simply. The Mirialan groaned; caught red-handed. "How many times do I have to tell you that stealing is wrong? One of these days, you're going to get caught and we won't be able to rescue you."

"Give her a break, Cúore." Zabrak sighed exasperatedly, ripping apart the muja fruit with her fangs. "What did you expect her to do? Ask 'pretty please'? People like us don't stand a chance without resorting to stealing and looting."

"I'm just saying…" Cúore sighed.

The rest of the meal was left in awkward silence. It was common practice that the Human and the Zabrak children argued about moral philosophy, leaving it to the other two girls to patch things up. But at the end of the day, they always forgave each other…until one of them is caught sneaking a midnight snack. Just as Cúore finished her first fruit and reached for a second, the small voice of the Twi'lek child brought everyone to a standstill.

"Are you leaving us, Cúore?"

The Human girl quickly snapped herself to attention, staring at the young Twi'lek in shock. The youngest of the group looked visibly saddened and started tearing up at the thought of her oldest friend leaving. Cúore quickly dropped her food and jumped off her seat to envelope her youngest friend in a calming embrace.

"Shh…shh…it's all right." Cúore whispered softly. She waited until the child had calmed down before kneeling to her level. "Now…why would you think I'm leaving?"

"Because I always see you staring at the place where the Jedi live." The Twi'lek sniffed. "What if you go to the Jedi and never come back? I heard that they don't those uh…bond things in the Jedi. That means you can't have any friends or family. If you join the Jedi one day…you'll forget about us."

"I doubt that'll happen." The others turned to the Mirialan. "Someone like Cúore wouldn't just abandon us like that. We've been together for too long to let a little thing like that to break up our little family."

"She's right, ya know." The Zabrak grinned arrogantly. "An idiot like her is too connected with us to make it in the Jedi." The Human girl glared at the horned child hard. "Hey, it's a joke. Lighten up, will ya?"

"So…" The Twi'lik looked up to Cúore hopefully. "You won't leave us?"

"I…can't promise that." Cúore answered truthfully. "But no matter where I am or what I am doing, nothing will ever make me forget you three. I know we've only been together for a year, but you three are more like family to me than my own parents were." She rested her hands on the Twi'lek's shoulder with a small smile. "I swear, no matter what happens, you three will always be like sisters to me."

"Promise?" The Twi'lek asked optimistically.

"Promise."

* * *

_**Present – 10 ATC**_

That damn alarm…

As a Corellian Defender-Class Light Corvette passed the moons of Ashla and Bogan, the entitled owner was rudely awakened by the consistent beeping of the alarm clock. Moaning drowsily, the sleepy woman reached out and lightly slapped the snooze button. But as usual, it was never that easy. When the beeping wouldn't stop, the starship owner tried slamming her first on top, but the obnoxious sound persisted. She finally had enough and ripped the alarm from the wall and chucked it across the room, smashing the device to pieces. The noise finally stopped, but now she couldn't get to sleep. The woman groaned loudly as she forced herself to sit up in her bed, wiping the sleep from her eyes.

"I hate Primedays..." Cúore grumbled.

Throwing off the bed sheet, the tan-skinned Human forced herself out of her haven of sleep and stretched her limbs to wake them from their rest. Cúore Blood-Rose was a lean woman of 24 Years with a pretty face by most standards that did well to hide her true nature from preying eyes. Her shimming-silver hair was recently cut shot after a particularly difficult mission Karfeddion, but left a few hairs longer on her right side. Her most distinctive feature was the three scars that ran down the surface of her left eye – a reminder of her brush with death.

Slapping her cheeks to make sure she stayed awake, Cúore crossed the room to her dresser and retrieved her attire: a Jedi Knight's robe. Contrary to most Jedi who wore robes in beige or darker colors, Cúore's robe was tailored to be pure-white from the Madalorrian combat boots to the Jedi Guardian Robe. Once she made herself presentable, the scarred Human used the Force to draw the lightsaber hilt from her bedside table and attached it to her belt. As left her chambers and walked up to the Defender's second level, she just had the feeling that something interesting was going to happen today.

"Good morning, master." The ship droid – C2-N2 – greeted, presenting his master with her morning coffee. "I trust you sleep well last night. I have taken every precaution to make sure that your journey was smooth as per your request."

"Thanks you, Seetwo." The Jedi Guardian said gratefully, accepting her caffeinated beverage. "Check with Teeseven to know what our TOA is for Tython."

"At once, master!" C2 exclaimed.

While the golden maintenance droid waddled off to the bottom floor – more like fell based on the loud crash that followed – Cúore retreated to the main conference room. While the holocom was typically used for relaying messaged directly from the Jedi Council, Cúore found other uses for it as well. The scarred Jedi kicked back on the couch, changing signal to the Coruscant Daily Newsfeed.

"…**And hope for a speedy recovery**." The human reporter announced. "**In local news, today marks the tenth anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Coruscant, which had brought an end to Great Galactic War between the Sith Empire and the Galactic Republic. While the treaty has issued a military ceasefire from both parties, many senators argue that the treaty has given the Empire too much control over the galactic frontier and threatens a rise in power amongst the Sith. We have asked the political views of the Jedi Grand Master, Satele Shan, who has refused to comment**…"

"Of course she'll refuse." Cúore sighed, switching off the holocom. "The Great Galactic War may be over, but were still in the middle of a Cold War – not much difference between them expect for the political views." While sighed heavily. "While the senate is still recovering from the war, Jedi and Soldiers alike are still fighting for their lives. If only…"

Folding her hands together and closing her eyes, Cúore thought back to the times before the Treaty of Coruscant was signed. She was only a child at the time, but she had understood the consequences better than anyone. And having witnessed the Sacking of Coruscant firsthand, Cúore was left to wonder what the treaty really did for the Republic. But before she could delve any further, a series of beeps of tweets dragged her back to reality. The Jedi smiled lightly at her faithful Astromech, T7-O1.

"Hey, Teeseven." Cúore greeted, patting the droid affectionately. "Will we be arriving on Tython soon?"

"**Tython + Estimated arrival = 10 standard minutes/T7= Happy to be home**." T7 chirped.

"I like coming back to Tython, too." Cúore nodded. "It's agood chance to get away from all the troubles of the galaxy…except for Flesh Raiders…and Manka Cats… and the Horranth…and the - you know what? Tython's just as bad as the rest of the galaxy."

"**T7 = No arguments**." T7 beeped.

"I guess we should prep for landing." Cúore said as she stepped across the ship to the pilot controls with T7 rolling alongside. "The Jedi Council seemed pretty insistent that I arrive on time. There must be something urgent if they're calling me from the other side of the galaxy."

"**T7 + Jedi Cúore = Ready for anything!**" T7 chirped.

"Yeah, we are." Cúore chuckled. "By the way, where's Seetwo?"

"Don't worry about me, master!" C2 called from the lower decks. "I'm perfectly fine – nothing to worry about! Now is it the blue wire that connects to the movement servos or the pink one…?"

She was right: this was going to be an interesting day.

* * *

Tython – the original home of the Jedi Order, where thousands of Jedi Knights have walked the path of light before her and went on to become legends. When Cúore first arrived on the ancient Jedi home world, she was taken in by the natural wonder and history of the planet. But after enduring Flash Raider attacks and Manka Cat bites, the novelty has worn off. Quite honestly, the only reason she ever returns to Tython is either when the Jedi Council calls on her or to visit the Kalikori Matriarch. Cúore has worked extra hard to make sure that the Council never found out about the latter.

The Defend landed though the hanger rooftop of the Jedi Temple and Cúore exited her ship, ordering T7 to stay behind to aid in C2's repairs. Honestly, for a maintenance droid, he was rather clumsy. The scarred knight bowed respectfully to the passing Jedi Masters and their young Padawans; she pressed herself against the wall to evade a swarm of younglings. Passing the map room and around the Eye of Zallow, Cúore was welcomed by the elderly Master Syo Bakaran in front of the Jedi Council's chambers.

"Master Syo." Cúore greeted, bowing respectfully to her superior. "As always, it is a pleasure to see you well. In fact…I could swear you are 10 years younger than the last time I saw you."

"Don't tease an old man, young one." Master Syo waved amusingly. "I may be old, but I am still as fit as I was 40 years ago during the early years of the Great Galactic War."

"I don't doubt that." Cúore grinned playfully. "So does the Council have an assignment for me?"

"Indeed, we do." Master Syo nodded. "But first, we have a more important matter to attend. Follow me."

Cúore looked quite confused. What other purpose could the Jedi Council have to summon her other than than to give her a new assignment? Well, it looked like she was about to find out. The scarred knight followed the elderly healer into the council chamber, but not before making sure the room was sealed from outsiders; the Council worked better in secret. Now Cúore had visited the Council Room many times, but this was the first time she had ever seen it so packed. It appeared that all members of the Jedi High Council had been summoned from Bela Kawiiks to Nikil Nobil to even the Chief Librarian, Gnost-Dural. Even Yuon Par was attending after recently being promoted to the coincul following the death of Orgus Din.

And then there was the Grand Master of the Jedi Order – the one woman admired, respected, and, admittedly, had a crush on during her Padawan years: Satele Shan. The Grand Master was both beautiful and vicious, which only matched her great wisdom and skill with a lightsaber. Grand Master Satele had always acted as a mentor to Cúore outside of her true master, Orgus Din, even more so than any other Padawan learner. The Jedi Order was even more surprised when Master Satele took Cúore as her padawan following the demise of Master Orgus until her Trials of Knighthood.

When the scarred woman entered the chamber, Master Satele was the first to stand and approach her former padawan. Unlike many masters and padawan relationships who simply greeted each other with a handshake, Master Satele and Cúore embraced like sisters. It was one of the many factors that led to Cúore's childhood crush.

"Ah, Cúore…" Satele smiled in a motherly manner. "It's good to see you again. I see you survived the trial on Taris."

It'll take a lot more than a couple of rakghouls to finish me." Cúore proclaimed confidently, boarding on arrogance. "But in all seriousness, Master, I'm a little concerned. I've been told that I might have a mission, but there seems to be something that you all have been keeping from me. If it's not too much trouble, I'd like to know."

"And you will." Master Satele agreed, taking her seat at the same time as Syo. "Just before you arrived, the Jedi Council was discussing the possibility of promoting you to the rank of Jedi Master."

"Master…" Cúore repeated in wonderment.

"You have built yourself quite the reputation, young one." Master Jaric Kaeden stated. "The Hero of Tython, Hero of Gorinth Canyon, Destroyer of the Desolator – these titles you carry only demonstrate a small part of your endeavors for the Republic."

"And she has shown exceptional skill in the Jedi Trials." Master Shol Bestros acknowledged. "In the Test of Skill, she has proved to be very proficient wielding a lightsaber. Master Satele and Master Orgus have both vouched for her in this case. But her best quality is her ability to devise well-coordinated strategies in the heat of battle – a true test of the mind."

"Then there is the Trial of Courage." Master Giffis Fane continued. "Cúore has always been a fearless Jedi, but never reckless. Her will to face the forces of the Sith Empire without succumbing to fear should be a testament to her strength."

"The Test of Flesh was a Trail you had completed long before you days as a knight." Master Wens Aleusis said solemnly. Cúore took a moment to trace the scars that ran down the left side of her face, remembering the horrifying moment she received them. "Yes…you suffered a great deal at such a young age. You faced this trial once again when you witnessed the death of your former master, Orgus Din. May his soul rest in peace."

"The Trail of Spirit was thrust upon you after that." Master Tol Braga proclaimed. "With your master's demise, you were forced to search deep within yourself to help find your way. We were fortunate that you were able to return to us after such a difficult time."

"I owe it all to Master Satele." Cúore claimed humbly.

"No, it was all you." Master Satele argued. "Your final test was the Trail of Insight. It was an unorthodox method, but your duel with the former Dark Lord Praven ended much differently than anticipated. Instead of capturing him or killing him, you saw fit to covert him to the light. A Pureblooded Sith within the Jedi Order has never been heard of – you started something amazing."

"Reviewing all this, can anyone see any reason why Jedi Cúore should not be given the title of master?" Master Yuon questioned.

For a short moment, there was only silence with the Jedi Council looking amongst themselves for any reason to deny the request. This was one of the times that Cúore wondered if the High Council had some telepathic power. When no one said anything, Grand Master Satele stood proper from her seat and confronted the Jedi Knight.

"Then as Grand Master of the Jedi Order…" Satele said formally. "It is my pleasure to welcome you amongst our ranks…Master Cúore Blood-Rose. May you carry that title with pride."

"I will, Master Satele." Cúore said gratefully, deeply bowing to the Grand Master.

"Now that that's out of the way." Master Syo interrupted, effectively killing the mood. "Let's move on to the next order of business."

"That was quite rude, but very well." Master Satele agreed, activating the holocom in the center of the room. The vibrant blue hologram projected imagines of bipedal shark-like creatures wearing random plates of armor and carrying weapons. "As you are already aware, the Flesh Raiders have attempted to destroy the Jedi Order with minimal success. For a long time, we have been able to force back the Flesh Raider Uprising until recently. Somehow, the Flesh Raiders have become more attuned with their Force sensitivity and are beginning to fight back and even kill Padawans."

"Has Bengel Morr escaped?" Cúore asked worried.

"No, Master Orgus' former apprentice is still being rehabilitated." Master Tol proclaimed calmly.

"We have no idea how the Flesh Raiders have become aware, but we have a small suspicion." Master Satele informed, adjusting the hologram to only show a particular Flesh Raider leader a group of lesser warriors. "Look at its weapon. Notice anything familiar?"

"That's…" Cúore said slowly, taking a long to minute to be sure she wasn't mistake. "That's a Sith lightsaber. You don't suppose that the Sith Lords have managed to arrive on Tython without the Council's notice."

"It is difficult to say." Master Nikil hummed, stroking his beard thoughtfully. "We have conferred with Padawan Praven on his opinion of the matter and he believes it isn't unlikely that one Sith Lord would be able to slip through our defenses. After the incident with Nalen Raloch, we would all be wary."

"Regardless if they are being led by Sith or not…" Master Yuon interjected. "That fact remains that the Flesh Raiders are becoming hostile and will no doubt attack the temple very soon."

"We can run the risk of another sacking." Satele agreed. "Master Cúore, the Jedi Council leaves you and your padawan with the task of discovering the source of the Flesh Raider's power and putting a stop to it."

"It will be done, Ma…" Cúore stopped herself. Playing that sentence over in her head, she had the faint image of two speeders colliding. "Uh…excuse me, master. I might have heard wrong, but I thought you said…me and my padawan."

"Indeed I did." Master Satele confirmed, making a swift nod to the corner.

For the first time since the meeting began, Cúore suddenly realized that there was someone else in the room. As the unknown occupant appeared from before the column, the scarred master was greeted with the sight of – whom she believed – a youngling. She was very young and wiry with short, burning-red hair and a pair of cunning-blue eyes that screamed troublemaker. She also had a faint scar under her left eye, but nothing noticeable. She attire consisted of a light tunic with dark chest plates, a pair of elbow-length gloves, a lengthy skirt that hid her rough combat boots, and a stubbed belt to carry her lightsaber. Said weapon was apparently modeled to be double-bladed; a rare class outside the usual norm.

The newcomer walked up to her new master and stared at her up and down, most likely gauging her.

"Master Cúore, this is Kira Carsen –your new padawan." Master Satele introduced.

"How's it goin'?" Kira greeted casually; she was definitely trouble.

"I mean no disrespect, Master Satele." Cúore said awkwardly. "But I just became a Jedi Master and I'm not looking for a padawan learner yet. Besides, aren't masters supposed to examine potential padawans before accepting?"

"Padawan Kira is an exemplary student." Master Bela proclaimed. "She is the most advanced of her class and has recently been given the privilege of constructing her own lightsaber. Seeing as you were a gifted padawan learner yourself, we believe you have much to teach her."

"I…wasn't going to say this…but I'll be blunt." Cúore sighed exasperatedly. "I'm not looking to babysit a youngling. Besides, is she even old enough to be a padawan?"

"I'm 15, thank you!" Kira snapped angrily.

"Age is irrelevant in terms of raw talent." Master Syo argued with a small smirk. "And as memory serves, you were 13 when Master Orgus took you in as his Padawan. If we were able to bend the rules of the Age Restriction for you, we could most certainly bend them for Padawan Kira."

"But…" Cúore argued weakly.

"I know this is a big responsibility, Master Cúore." Satele smiled warmly. "But give it a chance and I'm sure you'll become accustomed to it. Master Orgus and I felt great pride in having you as our student and now you have the chance to experience that for yourself."

"Very well." Cúore conceded defeat. The newly instated master reluctantly turned to her new padawan, who was smirking victoriously at her Jedi teacher. "If we are to be master and padawan, we must be properly introduced. I am Master Cúore Blood-Rose, Jedi Knight-Guardian Class. I am 24 Years of age, born on the planet Coruscant, and former padawan to Master Orgus Din and Grand Master Satele Shan."

"Ooh, fancy." Kira said jokingly; her master was not amused. "Ok, ok, the name's Kira Carsen, Jedi Councilor-Shadow Class. I'm 15, I spent a lot of time on the streets of Nar Shaddaa, and…well, you're the first teacher I met that hasn't run off screaming in the opposite direction. I kinda got a reputation here."

"I can tell." Cúore said blandly. "Shadow Class…the same class as Master Satele. Shadow-Class specializes in stealth and deadly precision. I take it that's the reason you chose such an advance skill."

"Nah, I just thought it sound cool." Kira laughed playfully.

"Master Satele!" Cúore pleaded.

"That's enough, Master Cúore." Master Satele said with a tone of finality. "You and your padawan are to investigate the area around Tythos Ridge and discover the source of the Flesh Raider's strength. If thing do not work out between you and your padawan, we will search for a new master for Kira."

"Very well." Cúore sighed, grudgingly turning on her heels towards the door. "Come along, young one. We have a lot of work ahead of us."

"That's great, but can we make a quick pit stop." Kira said teasingly. "Probably wasn't a good idea to drink all that soda before coming in here."

"Ancestors, give me strength." Cúore groaned.

"May the Force be with you." Satele recited to her former apprentice, who returned the gesture.

"Are you sure it was a wise idea to match Padawan Kira with Master Cúore." Master Syo questioned the moment the teacher and student left the chamber. "Those two are about as opposite as light and darkness – they are completely dissimilar in every aspect."

"Have faith, Master Syo." Master Satele replied with a knowing smile. "I have a feeling that those two may surprise us."

* * *

**Codex**

**Name: **Cúore Blood-Rose

**Age: **24

**Entry: **Growing up in The Works of Coruscant, Cúore has always shown exceptional leadership and a sense of responsibility when looking out for her fellow younglings. Cúore and her friends were discovered by a married couple – a Togruta woman and a Nautolan woman – during one of their raids to the market square and were followed to their hidden camp in The Works. Unable to let them live in such conditions, Mitéra and Nimitz Blood-Rose adopted the children and raised them on Naboo.

Ever since she was young, Cúore had admired the Jedi Order as protectors of the galaxy and sought to join them in their quest. But underneath this, she desired to meet her birth father, Master Van Zallow, who remained unaware of her birth. Unfortunately, the Sacking of Coruscant ended her pursuit.

Cúore is looked upon as a model student of the Jedi Order during her tenure as a padawan to masters such as Orgus Din and Satele Shan. But beneath her stern exterior, Cúore often questions the code of the Jedi in particular to the rules of attachments.

**Likes: **Training, stomping out evil, emotional value

**Dislikes**: Cruelty, undisciplined people, the Jedi's law of attachments

* * *

**Please, read and review.**


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